Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-08-27
GOVERNORS DAY AT N1ANrIo.

GOVERNORS DAY AT NIANTIC.
Pleasure and Duty Mixed For the Sol
der Boys at Camp LOunsbury on
Governors Day-Hfs Excellency Re-
views the Troops In the Presence of
Thousands and Expresses Himself
as Well PIeased-The Soldiers no
Their Best and Are Wildly Applauded
A Host of Fair Admirers-Out on
the Rounds n Sentry Gets Ratified
and Loses the PassVvord-The Prepa-
rat1Ons For the Last Day i'm Camp
Last Night an UproarIOus One-Fun.
Music and F1rewOrks-GeneraI Camp
News.
CAMP LoUNsBURY, NIANTIc, Aug. 26.
The State camp surrendered to battery of
bright eyes and bewildering hutter of gay
| skirts to day.
Governors day was celebrated in a most
fitting manner. The weather is friend of
Governor Lounsbury. A brighter or more
| beautiful day never before dawned on Man
| tics camp ground.
On the whole it was a grand day for the
| soldier boys. 1t was certainly worth while
| to have been hard-worked soldier and to
| have undergone all the unpleasantness of the
wet weather to receive as reward the add
miration of fully fifteen thousand spectators
Governor Phineas Lounsbury, the comman-
der-in-chief.
The greater part of the regiment seemed to
have its best girl in camp, and in the after
noon, therefore, all but those guard, the
non-commissioned officers and the married
men, and those whose best girls had staid
away, were unusually happy.
When the morning gun doomed over the
hills this morning the boys greeted it with
hearty cheer, for every man was up and
| ready for the days work and review
accompanied by officers of his staff visited
| the company streets. The regular routine
| was carried out up to 2 o'clock. The battal-
| ion drill this morning was well executed.
| Shortly before O'Clock, the hour set for the
| review, the finishing touches were put to
\ the uniforms and everything was in readi-
ness His Excellency rode down the line as
| the band played Hail to the Chief" His
| countenance was beaming with smiles as to
| the writer he expressed himself as we'll
pleased with the appearance of the brigade,
| and more than pleased with the absolute per-
lection of the camp. The brigade dress pa
rade was witnessed by thousands of camp
visitors who were carried by storm and
cheered wildly. It took an hour for the re-
view, and during that time His Excellency
had exhibited to him the stuff the National
Guard is made of.
Tomorrow Saturday. the last day will be
full of work, the inevitable packing up, etc.
Tonight the pent-up spirits of the boys
broke forth little. Detachments marched
around spreading cheers and demands for
speeches promiscuously. The bands played
and fireworks made a beautiful display.
There were fully five thousand people on the
grounds to see and hear it all. The camp
this year has without doubt, for the time
spent. been as near perfection and as exact
model of military life as soldiers can make it.
General Graham is well pleased, His Excel
lency is highly pleased, and the regular army
officers are in ecstacies over the success of
the encampment in general. The records
that the various commands have left are on
the whole good. Speaking from an official
standpoint the Second and First regiments
did the best work of the brigade in camp.
It is question whether the Second did not
surpass the Sloopville warriors.
It was stated by the headquarters staff
that the grand rounds that started its
tour at one o'clock this morning was the best
conducted of any that the camp has yet seen.
Consequently the officer of the day felt that
his labors had not been in vain. A large
party accompanied him on the rounds. The
night was as black as spade in heart
flush. The party tramped silently across the
wide parade. The lantern swinging like
pendulum in an officers hand cast fantastic
shadows across the grass and showed the
armed escort mufhed up in their long gray
coats with the capes Tapping in the wind.
Under the trees where the wind moaned and
night owl heeted went the party to the
outpost. A sharp rattle and CLEAN from
bayonet in the black shadows.
'sWho comes there?" challenged stern
voice from out the shadows.
The proper form was gone through and the
party passed on to the next post. The SEN
try was considerably unnerved by the impos-
ing numbers of the party and the silent
and sol emn dignity that they preserved.
"What's your Nance" demanded the cap
tain. It was foorer for the sentry. For
the life of him he couldn't think, but he
could give the number of his pack.
"Who commands regiment?' asked the
captain again.
ga colonel
"And how can you tell him!"
'By his straps"
''And what does he wear on them?"
81 Dunno answered the sentry, who was
getting more ratified every minute.
GA silver spread eagle. Now what's
the insignia of colonel?'
GA gold fig leaf?'
''No, no; we are not talking about statu-
1.-TWO barsa'
'No, there's not one in camp"
Then for half an hour he pumped that
sentry, who persisted in keeping away from
spread eagles and in dishing up oak leaves,
silver stars, crooks, cannon, crosses, toma- |
hawks and snakes
Speaking of the F'grand rounds" the fol- |
lowing camp story may not be inappropriate: |
One of the companies in camp here this week
contained a sergeant who was excessively
anxious that the visit of the officer of the
day should Develop ne lack of instruction
in guard duty among the men of his COM
manG. So he went among his guards |
and carefully informed them regarding
the challenges and responses, and
refreshed their memories on all needful |
points, telling them they might expect the |
grand rounds at about o'clock. For some
reason the visit was delayed an hour and it |
was o'clock before the rounds appeared. |
When they approached a certain German
sentry of the company and the sergeant re-
sponded, in answer to the guards challenge,
"Grand rounds" instead of saying, cad
vance, sergeant, and give the countersign,"
our German sentinel reproved the rounds in |
a voice that might have been heard at brig
ade headquarters: "Vot is de matter NIT |
you fellers? You're plum hour behind time |
now" The sergeant's feelings after all his !
painstaking may well be imagined. /
The boys of the Second were nearly all |
willing to enjoy a reasonable amount of
slumber last night, but it seemed impossible |
for scores of men to remain on their cots. |
After man had fallen into a refreshing |
sleep, full of happy dreams on the morrow, |
he would suddenly be landed, cot and all, |
into the company street. and nobody to be /
found who did it. This grew ghostlike af- |
ter a while, and before midnight it was /
generally believed that spirits were in camp 1
in vast quantities, if they were not the |
''Howling Four'' of the Light Guards.
The detail for the Second regiment for to- |
morrow Saturday. is as follows Officer of |
the day, Captain John Quit, Co. B; senior
officer of the guard, Lieutenant HIS. Munson,
Co. F; junior officer of the guard Lieut. Ed. |
Williams, Co. D.
The sick report for the day is as follows:
Brigade stan 6tat SsGo1d 1e rggimant,
Fourth regiment. Fifth battalion. 3 L
First regiment Battery A............ 2 1
The New Haven companies of the Second |
regiment will be welcomed back to New Ha- |
ven tomorrow with open arms. the boys |